Marvel's 'The Eternals' Production Start Date and Location Revealed

The post-Avengers: Endgame slate for Marvel Studios is being kept a major secret, considering the fate of just about every major character in the MCU is hanging in the balance. However, prequel movies are a totally different story, right? A Black Widow movie is definitely happening, giving Scarlett Johansson's titular character a deeper backstory. Also on the way is the infinitely more interesting cosmic property, The Eternals, which is set millions of years before the events of the current MCU.

While The Eternals has been talked about for quite some time, with The Rider's breakout director Chloe Zhao attached, it seems as though things are finally moving forward. The next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will begin production later this year.

The update comes from a new listing in Production Weekly, which indicates that The Eternals will begin production in Atlanta (the most common location for Marvel Studios films) on August 1st. Zhao is set to direct with a script from Matthew and Ryan Firpo.

In addition to the date and location, Production Weekly's listing also included a description of the film itself. While not an official synopsis, it does give some indication as to what the movie will actually be about.

"The story of The Eternals is set millions of years ago when the cosmic beings known as the Celestials genetically experimented on humans, creating the super-powered individuals as well as more villainous off-shoots known as the Deviants. The two groups went on to battle each other throughout history to see which would eventually become the ultimate race. The story involves the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes in moving amongst humans."

While this movie will focus on the race of Celestials, we've seen remnants of them appear throughout the MCU to this point, specifically in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The ever-popular location Knowhere, famous for housing The Collector, is actually the head of a dead celestial. In Guardians Vol.2, we met a still-living Celestial in the form of Ego, the living planet, played by Kurt Russell.

Chloe Zhao gained serious acclaim for The Rider, which became a bonafide indie darling over the last year or two. She's currently working on another modern western film called Nomadland, starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand. The Eternals looks to be her next project when that production has been completed.